Staring up at the magical ceiling of the Great Hall Scarlet Brice swallowed a gulp. Looking straight ahead she gathered her courage, squared her shoulders and began to walk forward towards the ominous Sorting Hat. You can do it, just stare it straight in the fine weaving and you'll be fine, Scarlet silently coached herself.

With each step her heart began to race just a little bit faster. She'd never been good at being judged; she liked being perfect and found it rather inconvenient when people sort to judge her and find fault.

I need something to keep my mind occupied, she thought. that book I've just finished reading on the train, yes, I remember how it talked about different rules of magic, the rule of conjuration, the rule against resurrection and the rule against immortality. Then there is Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, the five exceptions, are said to be, food, love, life, information and money... and so Scarlet thoughts took flight as she waited and listened rather absentmindedly to the names being called before her.

Scarlet Brice began a graceful arc with her wand hand, leaving small sparks in it's trail. The sparks varied only slightly in size and colour and seemed to be suspended in mid air. Scarlet smiled slightly. The spell was very complicated and required a lot of thought and careful action to perform wordlessly; a skill Scarlet had only just acquired.

"Well done Miss Brice, very well executed. I couldn't have done better myself, you show remarkable talent and immense control to perform that spell so perfectly. Well done, well done," Professor Flitwick exclaimed.

Scarlet blushed as she took her place back at her desk in the front row. It was always an enormous pleasure to Scarlet to perform some tricky new spell or read a rather over-large book. But she had never really been used to the idea of being publicly praise; granted she hated making mistakes and didn't like the idea of being judged but for some reason she had never been drawn to the need for praise she would rather be obsolete and perfect than in the eye of everyone she met.

Ducking her head in gratitude Scarlet spent the rest of the class imagining herself invisible.